Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HEARTACHE OF REAL IRA BOMB
I revisited the scene and it was hugely cathartic
THE brother of a 12-year-old boy killed in the blast said a recent visit to the scene was “hugely cathartic”.
Oliver Barker, 24, also called for the killers of
James and the other 28 victims, including a woman with unborn twins, to finally face justice.
The family had moved from England to Buncrana, Co Donegal, less than a year before the bombing in the hope of giving them a better quality of life close to their grandmother.
Mr Barker, now an estate agent who lives in Surrey, was just four when James was killed while out on a field trip.
He said the family had been enjoying their life in Ireland before the dissident attack.
Mr Barker added: “It was a fantastic time. The months before the Omagh bombing was picturesque in every ideal.
“And it’s just a shame that unfortunately that changed quite significantly.”
With the 20-year anniversary of the atrocity days away, he said he recently travelled to scene of the bomb.
Mr Barker added: “I was able to revisit it with my mother. And for us, and indeed for myself, it was hugely cathartic.
“It allowed me to walk the streets that so many years ago had been obliterated in what was an event that would change the lives of everybody involved.”
The Omagh bombing took place just months after the Good Friday Agreement and the dead came from both sides of the border, England and Spain.
Mr Barker said the lack of convictions has been “very frustrating”, adding he believes there are people who have crucial information.
He added: “I think it’s almost definitive that that’s the case.”
Mr Barker urged anyone with details “to do the honourable thing and come forward”.
He said: “The names, the places, the times. So the criminal justice system can run its course and so the families could get the justice they need.”
Despite the pain of losing his brother, Mr Barker said he has nothing but deep affection for Irish people.
He added: “I love Ireland and I love Northern Ireland. And the people of Ireland as well.
“And on both sides there are people that have put in their life into bringing justice and supporting peace.
“I don’t think the actions of a few individuals should ever represent a race or a creed.”